Sketches of the Manners, Customs, and History of the Indians of America.
CHAPTER X.
Second attempt against Chili.—Valdivia reaches Mapocho.—Founds the city of St. Jago.—Temper of the natives.—Terrible battle.—Sends to Peru for help.—Officers taken.—Their treacherous escape.—Valdivia Perseveres.—Final success and arrangements.
The next who attempted the conquest of Chili, was Pedro de Valdivia, a Spanish adventurer, and, like all the others, eager to distinguish himself, and to gain a fortune. However, he was not so cruel and avaricious as many of the adventurers. He determined to establish a permanent settlement in Chili. He began his march in the year 1540, with 200 Spaniards, and a numerous body of Peruvian auxiliaries; he had also some monks, several women, and a great number of European quadrupeds, with everything requisite for a colony.
He pursued the same route as Almagro, but, as it was in the summer, he passed the Andes without trouble, and entered Copiapo. But he found a cool reception, though it was warm weather. The people had learned the fate of Peru, and were determined not to allow their country to be plundered by the Spaniards, if they could help it.
They, of course, began to attack Valdivia, on all sides; but still the Spaniards made good their way, and reached the province of Mapocho, now called St. Jago. This lies about 600 miles distant from the confines of Peru. It was a beautiful country, pleasant and fertile, and had such a large population, that its name was interpreted to signify “the land of many people.” It lies upon the mountains of the Andes, and is 140 miles in circumference. The mountains in the north part abounded with gold, and in the east were rich mines of silver.
Valdivia admired the country, and determined to possess it. He accordingly began his settlement, by founding a city, which he named St. Jago, in honor of that apostle. At that time, Christians really believed that God was well pleased with having his followers conquer the heathen; and the most cruel and wicked of the Spanish adventurers always made a parade of their religion, or rather, their superstitions.
Valdivia went on, for a time, very successfully with building his city; but the natives were forming plans to destroy him. These he suspected, and seized and confined a number of their chiefs. Still, he was not at ease, and, wishing to watch their movements, he took sixty horse, and went out to scour the country. The Mapochians in the vicinity, who were watching for such an opportunity, immediately fell upon the colony with terrible fury, burned the half-built houses, and assailed the citadel, where the inhabitants had take a refuge, on all sides.
The battle began at day-break, and was continued till night; fresh troops of Indians constantly pouring in to fill the places of those shot down by the Spaniards. The commander of the fort sent, during the night, a messenger to Valdivia, who immediately returned. The Indians were thus attacked on both sides; the musketry and horse made a terrible slaughter among them; they had no arms but bows and slings, yet they fought most furiously, till nearly all their army was destroyed.
Valdivia thus relieved the siege, and rebuilt the city; but, for six years, the natives were constant in their attacks; they cut off the Spaniards at every opportunity, destroyed the crops, and, finally, rendered all the fertile plains around St. Jago uncultivated and desert; and then retired to the mountains.
The Spanish soldiers had become heartily tired of this fighting life. A few battles did very well, but to spend year after year in warfare was not at all comfortable. So they finally determined to kill their general, and then return to Peru. Valdivia discovered the conspiracy, and finally succeeded in quelling it.
About the same time, he obtained possession of a rich gold mine, in the valley of Quillota; and, by distributing the gold freely among his men, he found that they soon grew contented. But he discovered that he needed more soldiers, as the natives were far from being subdued; and he had constantly to keep a detachment of troops to guard the miners.
At length, Valdivia resolved to send, by land, two of his captains, Monroy and Miranda, with six companions, whose spurs, bits, and stirrups he directed to be made of gold, hoping thus to entice the Spaniards in Peru to come to his assistance.
These messengers were escorted by thirty horsemen, who were to accompany them to the borders of Chili. They reached Copiapo: here they were attacked by one hundred archers, commanded by Corteo, an officer of the Ulmen. The Spaniards were all slain, except the two captains, who, dreadfully wounded, were taken prisoners, and brought before the Ulmen.
That prince resolved to put them to death; but, at the solicitation of his wife, the Ulmena, he finally consented to spare them. She unbound them with her own hands, dressed their wounds, and treated them like brothers. When they were fully recovered, she desired them to teach her son the art of riding, as several of the horses had been taken alive in the defeat.
The two Spaniards readily consented to her request, hoping that they should find means to escape. This was natural; nor would it, perhaps, have been wrong, had they not committed a most horribly ungrateful crime to effect it. They were not strictly guarded, and frequently rode out with the young prince. One day, as this youth, the son of their benefactress, was riding between them, escorted by his archers, and preceded by his lance-bearer, Monroy suddenly attacked him with a poiniard he had concealed, and gave him several mortal wounds; while Miranda wrested the lance from the officer; and, in the confusion caused to the escort by seeing their young prince bleeding on the ground, these two treacherous Spaniards easily escaped.
But this breach of faith was ultimately of great disadvantage to the Spaniards. That one unprovoked murder probably caused the death of hundreds; because the natives never, after the occurrence, seemed to have put any faith in the professions of the white men.
The succeeding year or two were spent by Valdivia in fighting, and founding cities. The natives were gradually losing strength and hope; many were slain in the wars, and some yielded to what seemed inevitable, and became the allies of the Spaniards.
Still, there was much for these invaders to endure. At one time, the Copiapians, to revenge the murder of their prince by Monroy, killed forty Spaniards; and, not satisfied with that vengeance, they persuaded the Coquimbanes to massacre all the inhabitants of a colony which had been founded in their territory, and to raze the city of Serena, which Valdivia had caused to be built, to its foundations.
In 1549, the city was rebuilt in a more advantageous situation: but every advantage had to be purchased at the point of the sword, and paid for by human blood.
After a contest of nine years, and almost incredible hardships, the Spanish power seemed established in that part of Chili which had, formerly, been under the dominion—or, rather, superintendence—of the Peruvian empire. Valdivia then proceeded to distribute the conquered lands among his officers, as had been done in the West Indies and Peru. Then he was ready to undertake the conquest of the remaining provinces of Chili.
He accordingly began his march, with a pretty large army of Spaniards and Indians, and proceeded 240 miles, to the bay of Penco, where, on the 5th of October, 1550, he founded a third city, called Conception.
He had now arrived in the vicinity of the Araucanians; and, before we proceed with the story of the war, I will give you some account of the character and manners of this brave, free, and, in many respects, wonderful people.
CHAPTER XI.
Chili continued.—Customs, manners, arts, character, religion, language, &c., of that nation of Chili called Araucanians.
The word auca signifies free; and the Araucanians pride themselves on their liberty and independence. They possess great strength of constitution, and enjoy their health and faculties till they are very old. They rarely begin to be gray before they are sixty or seventy, and are not bald or wrinkled till eighty.
Their complexion is of a reddish brown, but much clearer than that of any other Indians. One tribe, the Boroanes, which live on the mountains, have as fair complexions, red and white, as Europeans; but, in general, the Araucanians are well distinguished as “red men.” They have round faces, small, animated eyes, a rather flat nose, a handsome mouth, even and white teeth, and small feet and hands.
The men pluck out their beards, but the hair on their heads they permit to grow to a great length. It is coarse, and black, and they wind it in tresses around their heads, and on no account allow it to be cut. The women are delicately formed, and many of them, especially among the Boroanes, are very handsome.
Their moral qualities are superior to those of any other of the native nations of America. They are courteous, hospitable, faithful to their engagements, grateful for services rendered them, and, generally, generous and humane towards the vanquished. They are exceedingly brave and patriotic, and enthusiastic lovers of liberty.
These noble qualities are obscured by the vices inseparable from the half-savage state of life they lead, unrefined by literature, and unenlightened by the Christian religion. They are often guilty of drunkenness; they practise polygamy, and they are very proud of themselves, and entertain a haughty contempt for all other nations.
The men dress in the following manner: they wear a shirt, vest, and a pair of short, close breeches; and a cloak, called a poncho. It is an oblong piece of cloth, about three yards long and two wide, with an opening in the middle for the head—and is a very commodious and useful garment.
Their clothes are made of wool, which they manufacture into cloth; and all the dress, except the poncho, is colored a greenish blue. This is the favorite color of the nation; but the poncho may be either white, red, or blue, with stripes a span broad, on which are wrought the figures of flowers and animals, in all manner of colors, and the border is ornamented with a handsome fringe.
The Araucanians wear on their heads a bandage of embroidered wool, in the form of the ancient diadem. They raise this, as a mark of courtesy, when saluting any one; when going to war, they ornament it with beautiful plumes. They also wear, around the body, a long woollen girdle, handsomely wrought. Persons of rank wear woollen boots, of various colors, and leather sandals; but the common people always go barefooted.
The dress of the women is very modest and simple. It consists of a tunic, a girdle, and a short cloak: the tunic descends to the feet; it has no sleeves, and is fastened on the shoulders by silver brooches. The color of the dress is always blue, and the fashion is never varied. But women seldom “forget their ornaments;” and these Araucanian ladies decorate their hair, which, divided into tresses, is allowed to float gracefully over their shoulders, with a profusion of false emeralds, and they wear necklaces of glass, and rings of silver on every finger, if they can obtain them.
They build their houses of a quadrangular form; the walls are made of wood, plastered with clay, and sometimes of brick; and the roof is covered with rushes. The size of the dwelling corresponds with the number of women a man can maintain, as each wife has her own fire-place. The interior of these houses is very simple, as they have no more furniture than is absolutely necessary. They live in scattered villages, each family on lands inherited from its ancestors—the right of private property being sacredly established. They will not live in walled cities, because they think the walls are a mark of slavery.
They manufacture their cloth from the wool of the Chilihueque, or Araucanian camel. They make use of the spindle and distaff, and have two kinds of looms; the first is somewhat like our common loom. The women perform all the domestic manufacture, and are likewise expert at sewing. They had needles and looms when first discovered by the Spaniards; in short, all the arts I shall describe, existed among them then, in as great perfection as they do at the present day.
From the excellent clay of their country the men manufactured pots, plates, cups, and large jars to hold their fermented liquors. They baked their pottery in ovens, made in the declivity of hills; and they had the art of varnishing their ware. They also extracted gold, silver, copper, tin, and lead from the earth, purified it, and made a variety of curious and useful articles.
They had discovered the art of making salt upon the sea-shore; and, from the juice of plants and from mineral earths, they procured dyes of all colors for their clothes, and also knew how to fix the color, by means of a certain luminous stone. They used the bark of the tree guallai, as a substitute for soap, and obtained oil from the seeds of the madi.
They also manufactured baskets, mats, fishing-nets, ropes, and all their implements of labor and weapons of war. Their agricultural labors were considerable. They cultivated Indian corn, pulse of various kinds, potatoes, pumpkins, pepper, and large strawberries. They made use of spades, and a light plough, in tilling their grounds. They had domesticated the Chilihueque, an animal shaped like a camel, but having long hair, or rather, wool, which served for all purposes of making cloth. They had also hogs and domestic fowls in plenty.
Their government is like that of Venice—an aristocratic republic. They have three orders of nobility, the dignities of each hereditary in the male line; but these nobles, though they administer the laws, have no power to make laws, but are obliged to govern according to the customs and traditions of the people. The highest rank is the Toquis; next, Apo-Ulmenes; third, Ulmenes. But these chiefs have no power of exacting contributions, or taxes, from the people; nor can they call upon them for their service, except in time of war.
The offences which are deemed deserving capital punishment, are, treachery, murder, adultery, the robbery of any valuable article, and witchcraft. Husbands and fathers are not subjected to any punishment for killing their wives and children, as they are declared to be the natural masters of their lives. In this particular, the odious wickedness of barbarous life is most strikingly displayed. No influence, save that of the Christian religion, can protect women and children from oppression; and yet there are women in Christian countries, who appear indifferent to, or wholly insensible of, the precious privileges which the Gospel of Peace has bestowed on them!
The ulmenes are judges in all cases between the people; in questions of national importance, the whole body of nobles meet together in grand council.
Whenever the grand council determines to go to war, they elect a commander-in-chief; and he is chosen for his fitness, without regard to rank. Sometimes they elect one from the common class, if there is no one among the nobles more distinguished for bravery.
The new general assumes the title of toqui, and a stone hatchet; and all nobles and people take an oath of obedience to his orders. He is, in fact, dictator; but yet his power is not quite supreme, for he cannot put any one to death without the consent of his officers.
Every Araucanian is born a soldier and a patriot—all are ready to fight for their country; so that there is no difficulty in raising an army, which usually consists of five or six thousand men. The toqui appoints his lieutenants; these appoint subordinates; and so on, till the army is organized.
The army is at present composed of infantry and horse. They formerly had only foot-soldiers; but, perceiving the great advantage which the Spaniards derived from their cavalry, the shrewd Araucanians set themselves to providing horses, and, in 1568—only seventeen years after their first opposing the Spanish arms—they were able to furnish several squadrons; and, in 1585, they had their cavalry regularly organized.
The infantry is divided into regiments and companies; each regiment has 1000 men, and contains ten companies. The cavalry is divided in a like manner. They have all their particular standards, but each bears a star, the national device. The soldiers are not clothed in uniform, but all wear, beneath their usual dress, cuirasses of leather, hardened by a peculiar mode of dressing; and their shields and helmets are made of the same material.
The cavalry is armed with swords and lances; the infantry with pikes and clubs, pointed with iron. They formerly used bows and slings; but, when fighting with the Spaniards, they found these would not do; so, to avoid the effect of the musketry, they adopted pikes and clubs, and immediately closed in and fought hand to hand with the enemy.
They used fire-arms with great skill, whenever they took powder and muskets from the Spaniards; but, as soon as the powder was expended, they returned to their own way of fighting. They were, however, very anxious to learn the secret of making powder, and, it is reported, tried one very extraordinary experiment.
There happened to be a few negroes with the Spanish troops; these, the Araucanians thought, were the powder magazines; or, at least, that the Spaniards used them in making powder. So, happening to take a poor black man prisoner, the Araucanians first covered him with stripes from head to foot, and then burned him to a coal, in order, by reducing it to powder, to obtain the so much wished for secret. But the cruel experiment failed!
The troops of this warlike nation are very vigilant, and always choose excellent positions. They are, moreover, acquainted with the art of constructing military works, and of protecting themselves with deep ditches, which they guard with branches of thorn.
When action becomes necessary, they separate the cavalry into two wings, and place the infantry in the centre; the files being arranged in such a manner that a pikeman and one who carries a club always fight side by side. They are brave, indeed utterly fearless, in battle.
Though they know full well that the first ranks will be exposed to almost certain destruction, they eagerly contend with each other for these posts of honor. As soon as the first line is cut down, or swept away by the cannon, the second occupies its place, and then the third, pressing on, until they succeed in breaking the front ranks of the enemy. In the midst of their fury, they preserve the strictest order, and perform all the evolutions directed by their officers. The most terrible of these are their club-bearers, who, Hercules-like, destroy or beat down all before them.
The prisoners they take are usually made slaves, until they are exchanged or ransomed. They seldom put a prisoner to death.
The religious system of the Araucanians differs, in some respects, from that of other Indian nations. They acknowledge a Supreme Being, the author of all things, whom they call Pillan—a word derived from pulli, the soul, and signifies the supreme essence. This Supreme Being is the great Toqui of the invisible world, and has a number of subordinate spirits, to whom is entrusted the administration of affairs of less import. There is a god of war, a benevolent deity, and the guembu, a malignant being, the author of all evil. If a horse tires, the guembu has rode him; if the earth trembles, this evil spirit has given it a shock; and he suffocates all who die,—so think the Araucanians.
Then the people believe in genii, who have charge of all created things, and who, united with the benevolent meulor, are constantly at war with the power of the wicked guembu. These genii are of both sexes—the females are lares, or familiar spirits, and always watch over mankind. Every Araucanian thinks he has one in his service. They sometimes invoke these deities, and implore their aid on urgent occasions; but they have no temples of worship, nor idols of any description; nor do they offer any sacrifices, except in case of some great calamity, or on concluding a peace. At such times they sacrifice animals and burn tobacco.
They believe in the immortality of the soul. This consolatory truth is deeply rooted, and seems innate with them. They think the soul, when separated from the body, goes to a country west, beyond the sea: one part of this land is pleasant, and filled with everything delightful—it is the abode of the good; the other part—desolate and wretched—is the habitation of the wicked.
Missionaries are much respected, and well-treated among them, and have full liberty of preaching their tenets; but yet, very few of the natives have ever been converted to Christianity. Still, they would seem to be the most likely of any of the Indian nations, to become, by suitable instruction, rational and real Christians. Their mode of worship, or manner of thinking respecting religious subjects, is more pure and spiritual than that of any other heathen people; and if books, in their own beautiful language, could be furnished them, and schools could be established among them, and good men and women, teachers of righteousness, in example as well as precept, would devote themselves to the work of instruction, it seems as though this interesting nation might be soon raised to the high rank of a civilized and Protestant Christian republic.
The Araucanians divide time as we do, into years, seasons, months, days, and hours; but in a different method. They commence their solar year on the 22d of December, calling this solstice Thaumathipantu, the head and tail of the year; and they denominate June, Udanthipantu, the divider of the year, from its dividing it into two parts.
They divide the year into twelve months, of thirty days each, and add five intercalary days to make out the solar year. The months are named from the most remarkable things produced at the time: thus—January is called Avuncujer, the month of fruit; February, Cogi-cujer, the month of harvest—and so on. The natural day is divided into twelve parts, six being allotted to the day, and six to the night; so that the Araucanian hour is as long as two of ours.
In astronomy, they have made wonderful progress, considering that they have had no written signs, to perpetuate their observations. They have divided the stars into constellations, and named these from the number of remarkable stars that compose them. Thus, the Pleiades are called Cajupal, the constellation of six; and the Antartic Cross, Meleritho, the constellation of four; because the first has six stars that are very apparent, and the last four.
They are well acquainted with the planets, and believe that these globes are so many earths, inhabited in the same manner as ours; for this reason they call the sky Guenu-mapu—the country of heaven; and the moon, Cuyen-mapu—the country of the moon. They believe comets to be exhalations or vapors from the earth, inflamed in the upper regions of the air; and never exhibit any fear at the sight of these, or of eclipses of the sun or moon. It is plain that they consider these as natural phenomena, but whether they know the course of eclipses or not, cannot be gathered from the imperfect knowledge we have of their language.
The Araucanians hold oratory in high estimation. The eldest son cannot succeed to the right of his birth, if he is deficient in this talent. So parents accustom their young sons, from childhood, to speak in public, and carry them to the national assemblies, where the best orators of the country display their eloquence.
They are as careful as ever were the Greeks, to speak their language correctly, and to preserve its purity. They are so particular about introducing foreign words, that when a foreigner settles among them, they oblige him to relinquish his name, and take another in the Chilian language.
The speeches of their orators are in the Asiatic style, highly figurative, allegorical, and elevated. They abound with parables and apologues; and yet they are seldom deficient in all the essential parts required by the rules of rhetoric; they have a suitable exordium, a clear narrative, a well-founded argument, and a pathetic peroration.
Their poets are called gempin, signifying lords of speech. What a beautiful and expressive name! Unrestrained enthusiasm is the prime characteristic of their poetry. The principal subject of the songs is the exploits of their heroes, somewhat in the manner of Ossian. Their verses are composed mostly in stanzas of eight or eleven syllables—a measure that appears most agreeable to the human ear. They are blank, but occasionally a rhyme is introduced, according to the taste of the poet.
The Araucanians have three kinds of physicians: the ampines, who employ only simples. These doctors are skilful in their knowledge of herbs, and understand pretty well the curing of most common diseases. Then there are the vileus, a class of doctors who believe that all contagious disorders proceed from insects: these are the regular physicians, and despise the poor herb-doctor as much as our own regular-bred M. D.’s do the quacks. The third class—machis—maintain that all serious disorders proceed from witchcraft, and pretend to cure by supernatural means; for which reason they are employed in desperate cases, when the exertions of the other doctors have failed. Sometimes the three kinds of physicians are called to hold a regular consultation—but they seldom agree.
Besides these professors of medicine, there are surgeons—gutorne—who remedy dislocations, and cure wounds and ulcers. And there is also a class who dissect bodies, in order to learn from the entrails if they are infected with poison; and in this way they obtain a tolerably correct notion of the human anatomy.
Before the arrival of the Spaniards, the Araucanians made use of bleeding, blistering, clysters, emetics, cathartics, and sudorifics—all which remedies have their peculiar names in their language. They let blood with the sharp point of a flint, fixed in a small stick; and they still prefer this instrument to a lancet. Almost all their medicines are obtained from vegetables.
The internal commerce—that is, the traffic among themselves—is entirely carried on by barter, and regulated by a kind of conventional tariff, according to which all commercial articles are appraised under the name of cullen, or payment, as was the custom in the time of Homer. Thus, a horse or bridle forms one payment; an ox, two—and so on.
Their external commerce is carried on, also, in the same way of barter; the Araucanians receive wine and European merchandise in exchange for ponchos, or Indian cloaks, horned cattle, horses, ostrich feathers, curiously wrought baskets, and other trifles.
The Spaniard who engages in this trade, applies directly to the heads of families. If they tell him he may trade, he proceeds to their houses, and distributes, indiscriminately, his merchandise to all those who may present themselves. When he has completed his sale, he gives notice of his departure, and all the purchasers hasten to deliver to him, in the first village he arrives at, the articles agreed upon as payment; and never has there been known an instance of the least failure of punctuality. Would that those who bear the name of Christians, would always observe as good faith in their contracts as these Indians!
The pride of this people has been before noted. They are as proud of their valor and liberty as ever were the Romans. They believe themselves the only people in the world that deserve the name of men! This high opinion of themselves makes them hold every other nation in great contempt. They call the Spaniards by names which signify vile soldiers and assassins. The other Europeans they call moruche, or strangers. But to each other they are all benevolence; and their language seems formed to express their kindness. They have six or seven very expressive words in their language for the term friend. For their relations of the most distant degree, they have terms which express particular regard and good will. In consequence of this mutual affection, they are always ready to assist each other. Not a beggar or an indigent person is to be found throughout all the Araucanian territory; even the most infirm and incapable of assisting themselves, are decently clothed. What a lesson should this furnish to Christian nations!
Nor is the benevolence of the Araucanian confined to his own countrymen: he is hospitable towards all strangers, of whatever nation; and a traveller may live in any part of the country, without the least expense.
They are very eloquent in expressing their good will, and sometimes rather tiresome in their compliments. They are naturally fond of honorable distinction, and they will not endure to be treated with the least contempt or neglect. If a Spaniard begins to speak to one of them with his hat on, the Indian immediately says—“Entugo tarmi curtesia”—take off your hat!
By attention and courtesy, anything may be obtained from them; and the favors they receive are always remembered; but ill-treatment exasperates them to such a degree, that nothing but revenge can appease them.
The Araucanians allow polygamy; a man may marry as many wives as he can purchase and maintain. This is the worst feature in their social policy, and seems almost the only obstacle which retards their civilization, or prevents them from becoming Christians. But even in these marriages, they show a higher sense of the natural laws of man, than the profligate Caribs did. The Araucanians, in their marriages, scrupulously avoid the more immediate degrees of relationship.
Their marriage ceremonies have very little formality, and consist in nothing more than carrying off the bride by pretended violence; and the bridegroom is obliged to give a variety of presents to the parents of the bride, and provide a grand entertainment for all the relations.
The first wife is always respected as the real and legitimate one; the others are called iardimo, or secondary wives. The first wife has also the authority of the mistress of the house; but the other wives are not always obedient, and the husband who has a number of these help-meets, has a deal of trouble to maintain harmony among them, though they generally treat him with great respect.
Celibacy is considered as ignominious. Old bachelors and old maids are called by names that signify old, idle, good for nothing.
Besides the usual female occupations of taking care of the house and children, spinning, weaving, and so on—that females in all countries perform—the women are not obliged to do much of the labor of living. But they pay the greatest attention to the cleanliness of their houses, sweeping them and the courts several times in the course of the day. Whenever they make use of any utensil, they immediately wash it.
The same attention to cleanliness is paid to their persons; they comb their hair twice a day, and once a week wash it with the soap made from the bark of the quillai; which keeps the hair very clean. There is seldom to be seen on their clothes the least spot of dirt.
The men are likewise equally fond of being neat and clean. In warm weather they bathe themselves several times a day, and it is rare, even in winter, that they do not bathe at least once a day.
Children are very kindly treated, and rarely, if ever, punished—the Araucanians holding it as an established truth, that chastisement only renders men base and cowardly.
The usual diet of this people is very simple. They are fond of Indian corn, and potatoes: of the last they have cultivated more than thirty different kinds, from time immemorial. Although they have both large and small animals, and birds in plenty, yet they eat but little flesh, and that is simply boiled or roasted. They rarely eat pork, though they know how to prepare black puddings and sausages; nor do they make much use of fish. They prefer bread and vegetables, especially potatoes, roasted, with a little salt.
Their usual drinks consist of various kinds of beer, and of cider, made from Indian corn, apples, and other fruits. They are extremely fond of wine, which they purchase from the Spaniards; but they have never taken any pains to cultivate the vine, which might be easily raised in the country.
The master of the house eats at the same table with his wives and children. The plates are earthen; the spoons and cups are made of horn and wood. The ulmenes, or nobles, have, in general, wrought plate for the service of their tables; but they only make use of it when they entertain some stranger of rank—then they make all the show possible, as they like to be considered rich. In summer, they are fond of dining in the shade of trees, which for this purpose are always planted round the house. Besides dinner, supper, and breakfast, they have, every day, their luncheon, which consists of a little flour of parched corn, steeped in hot water in the morning, and in cold in the evening.
Such is their common mode of living; but, on the occasions of funerals, marriages, or any other important event, they make great entertainments. Sometimes, three hundred persons are present, and the feasting continues two or three days. These are called cahuin, or circles, because the company seat themselves in a circle around a large branch of cinnamon wood.
They have also a custom, somewhat similar to our New England raisings, huskings, and quiltings. When there is any work which requires the combined aid of several persons—such as threshing their grain, building a house, &c.—the Araucanians, or all who wish to partake of the feast, assemble, and work until the labor is completed. But they generally come in sufficient numbers to finish the job in a few hours, and then devote the remainder of the day to amusement.
Music, dancing and play, form their customary diversions. Their musical instruments are very rude, their voices rather harsh, and the manner of singing not very agreeable to a stranger. But their dances, of which they have several, are lively and pleasing. The men and women sometimes dance together, but oftener apart.
Their games are very numerous, and, for the most part, very ingenious; they are divided into sedentary and gymnastic. It is a curious fact, and worthy of note, that they have the game of chess, which they call comican, and which has been known to them from time immemorial. They have also a game, quechu, which is almost similar to our backgammon.
The youth exercise themselves frequently in wrestling and running, and playing ball, which they like exceedingly. But the penco is a favorite game, because it has some resemblance to the siege of a fortress—and they delight in war.
The penco is thus played. Twelve or more persons join hands, and form a circle, in the centre of which stands a little boy. Their adversaries, who are equal in number, and sometimes superior, endeavor by force or stratagem to break the circle, and obtain the boy, in which the victory consists. But this is no easy matter. The defenders make almost incredible efforts to keep themselves closely united, and the besiegers are often compelled, by weariness, to relinquish the attempt; and then the defenders shout for their victory.
The aboriginal inhabitants of Chili, from the ocean to the Andes, from Peru to Magellan, all speak the same language. It is a regular, harmonious, and rich language, and so elegant, expressive, and copious, that Europeans who have studied it, think the Chilians must, in former times, have possessed a much greater degree of civilization than at present; because mere savages could never have formed a dialect so perfect.
It differs from every other American language, not less in its words than in its construction. It is so copious, that a complete dictionary of it would require more than one large volume; and in sweetness and variety it greatly excels the other Indian dialects.
The Araucanians are very particular to teach their children to speak with propriety and elegance; and it is probably this care which has preserved the language so pure. They will not converse in Spanish, though they easily learn that language, or, indeed, any other; but they scrupulously adhere to their own tongue,—and it is through this medium that, if ever they embrace Christianity, they must be taught. It seems, from many circumstances, as though this people were peculiarly prepared to become Protestant Christians, whenever they can be instructed in the arts of reading and writing, and furnished with the Word of God.
Such are the character and manners of the Araucanians of the present day: most of the customs we have described are original, though a few of them have been derived from the Spaniards.